My review of Bilbrew's work with Gilbert now comes to the twelve-volume story, 'Leslie's Adventures in Petticoatland'. The first few books do not contain original Bilbrew drawings, but I'll summarize them anyway because of Gilbert's prominent place in the history of petticoat punishment.
'Petticoated Male' is illustrated by Lorraine Channing. She is a capable artist and her illustrations for this story convey a powerful mood, however, they do not include fine details or rich backgrounds.
The story introduces fifteen year old Leslie and his aunt. She takes him to a girls clothing store and tells him:
"I have every intention of transforming you into my demure little niece!" He sank to his knees before her, pleading that she not do this terrible thing to him.
His protests are to no avail and he is dressed in a wasp-waisted pink satin corset adorned with delicate lace and pert little baby-blue ribbon bows, elaborate lace-and-ribbon-frilled silk panties, three sweetly frilled taffeta and net petticoats attached to a common waistband, a dainty pink chiffon frock, long stockings with frilly garters and a lovely wig. They selected a pink cashmere coat and broad brimmed hat with a ribbon dangling at the rear. Out of the store, dressed as a girl for the first time, Leslie prayed that the earth would open up and swallow him.
The loud swishing which accompanied every step constantly reminded him of his new girlish status. Worse yet, he saw Alice and her mother coming.
He could feel Alice's eyes probing him. "Oh, Mommy! It's really Leslie all dressed up as a girl. Isn't he cute?"
"You shut up!" Leslie said.
"One more word," his aunt exclaimed, "and I shall lift your little skirts and give you a spanking right here in public."
The four of them enter a shop for girls and much to Leslie's dismay, his coat and frock are removed in front of Alice. She spied his corset, which forced his flesh upward to create a convincing little bosom, half-hid in a froth of dainty pink and white lace. Leslie's aunt reached out and lifted his petticoats, exposing his frilled panties, while he tried frantically to push them down.
"Now, Leslie dear," his aunt admonished. "It's not immodest for a girl to show off her pretty little undies to ladies."
Home again the maid, Marie, greets him as "Miss Leslie."
"I'm not a girl!" Leslie protests. "You can't make me be a girl!"
This outburst leads to a spanking with a wood backed hairbrush. Every day after school, Leslie is required to dress girlishly until bedtime, complete with make up prettily applied by Marie. The story ends with Leslie forced to attend Alice's girls only birthday party where he passes and meets Nancy, another boy in dresses.
'Prisoner in Lace' is illustrated by Bilbrew. However, the drawings are from 'Transformed' and have nothing to do with this story. This recycling of art is common, unfortunately. Commissioning high quality art is a major expense that few publishers are willing to risk. Petticoat punishment fiction just doesn't sell enough copies. Also most sales are by mail and it is difficult to know what you are getting so hyperbola sells (at least in the short run).
Leslie has been moved to a girl's school so he would never have to wear boy's clothes. He has grown to enjoy his frills so the story has lost some interest for me. However, it does offer one entertaining scene at his new school:
The girl leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "They say there are four boys here at school masquerading as girls!" Her next words stunned me, "I think you're one of them."
"Don't be silly!" I hastened to retort. "Of course I'm not!"
'Enslaved in Lace' again has art from 'Transformed'. It takes Leslie's transformation to a new plateau:
"What is she going to do to me, Marie?"
"I can't really tell you. I can only give you a little hint." She cupped his boyish breasts in her hands and pushed the soft flesh upwards until they almost resembled a girl's bosom. Leslie got the idea immediately.
"Oh no!" he cried, "not that!" I'll be marked for life.
His aunt prepared him for the trip to the doctor. Over his corset and elaborately frilled white panties, she dressed him in a frilly lace blouse and a short green plaid girl's kilt flounced out with several starched white petticoats. For the first time in quite a while he wore no bra and falsies.
When Leslie looked at himself in the mirror, he received a shock. The severe cut of the blouse, the kilt and the lack of a bosom made him look more like a sissified boy than a girl. This filled him with consternation, for he did not want to be seen in public as a half-and-half version of femininity: half girl and half sissy boy.
Surgery follows and Leslie wakes to find a certain fullness in the chest that had never been there before. He was terribly embarrassed by his new bosom, but it was an asset to his dressing and living as a girl.
'From Pants to Panties' takes its cover from an interior page of 'Petticoated Male'. It also has one interior drawing by an artist I don't know. It does not go with the text, so it was probably 'borrowed' from another story.
It introduces Philip, a fourteen-year-old boy who Leslie dislikes. This new character is necessary to add tension now that Leslie has come (too soon in my view) to not mind dressing as a girl. He does dislike the childish drawers, petticoats and party frocks his aunt prefers he wear when home from school:
Marie entered dragging a sobbing, protesting and frantically struggling Philip by the hand. His frenzied struggles caused his skirts to fly up to reveal frilled pink undies. Philip caught sight of Leslie, and struggled all the harder. "Let me go!" he cried out, "I don't want her to see me!"
Philip is in for major modifications to his lifestyle and body. He will become a pretty little doll fluttering around in lovely little frocks like Leslie and with a new figure supplied by Dr. Jane.
Next month I'll have a final article (this time I promise) on Bilbrew and Gilbert.